


efflorescence

by cherrysake



Series: mythical creatures soulmate au [1]
Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Comedy, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-01 18:42:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11492385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrysake/pseuds/cherrysake
Summary: noun1. the state or a period of flowering.aka a mythical creatures au where ikon are more or less tied to each other, somehow or another.





	1. prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> noun  
> 1\. the state or a period of flowering.
> 
> aka a mythical creatures au where ikon are more or less tied to each other, somehow or another. (or more like shoved towards each other, in the case of jinhwan and hanbin & jiwon and junhoe.)

in which 

1\. jinhwan doesn't believe in mates.

2\. junhoe thinks there might be some truth in mates.

3\. chanwoo and yunhyeong thinks jinhwan should live a little.

4\. donghyuk manages to find jinhwan and junhoe's mates.

5\. chanwoo and yunhyeong are very, very worried for their friends' love lives.

6\. jiwon and hanbin have no choice in this matter.


	2. finale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wowee what have i done. (especially to jinhwan lmao he's sucha grump in this one) this was supposed to have angst but i guess my brain was having none of it today: welcome to fluffland. (i need to remove that angst tag lol)
> 
> also, fair warning: it's pretty wordy?  
> plus it's more jinhwan-centric than anything.  
> and very, very jumbled. warning, fyi.
> 
> enjoy!!

People believed soulmates existed – or in the case of the mythical creatures flitting about in their dimension, _mates_. Jinhwan doesn’t think so, because the idea of having someone’s mark on you right after you’re born, or after they’re born is plain stupid. That would just mean they owned you. Mates were not a pretty thing in the Fae’s eyes, knowing how exactly his mother had been betrayed by her own mate and could only watch helplessly as he left with another woman he ‘loved more’. Jinhwan doesn’t believe in mates, not even when the blooming feather of blue hues mimicking scales flower across his left and right wrists.

Jinhwan meets Junhoe when he’s seven. Old enough to think he knows it all. He dishes out advices and life lessons to the four-year-old as if he’s lived more than a decade than the other. Junhoe is a starry-eyed Fae with the prettiest silver and obsidian wings, much comelier than Jinhwan’s own ivory and peach hues. Junhoe flits about easily, outgrows Jinhwan easily, but the older Fae can never bring himself to hate the younger one, not when he held the stars in his eyes and his dreams in his heart. Nothing could destroy that, Jinhwan would make sure of it.

They meet Donghyuk, Yunhyeong and Chanwoo when they’re both seventeen and fourteen; the discomfort from seeing the three of them stuck together like glue fading away into nothing. It was a sight for sore eyes: three Elves and two Fae dancing about the woods like the impish troublemakers they were. Yunhyeong was energetic, loud and obnoxious, and Chanwoo would only follow him like a fool – Donghyuk balanced them out by being the quiet, shy and down-to-earth one. Jinhwan liked Donghyuk the most out of the three. Junhoe didn’t really want to pick, he honestly liked all of them – even if the troublesome two could just keep it down a tad bit, that would be perfect.

Days were spent with the five of them exploring the woods, marching forth while singing songs and clapping their hands to the beat; late nights spent at each other’s house and squealing when Jinhwan’s mother would burst in the door and yell at them to sleep or just be quiet because they wanted to sleep. Soon enough, they were all of eligible age, with Junhoe, the youngest finally turning twenty. Life was too good for Jinhwan to even start caring about the marks that had been on his wrists all this while.

It’s when they’re flipping through a book at the library – just because it was the only place that could shut Chanwoo and Yunhyeong up – that Donghyuk points to what seemed to be a very interesting book on the theory of mates and their marks. Jinhwan scoffs, not wanting to be a part of whatever ‘research’ they were planning on doing. He has to sit at their table anyway, given that the library was packed with scholars from the Fae race, so he does with much hesitation, only giving the book a few glances of disdain here and there.

“Look here, it says – a mate’s mark will never fade unless they or their partner die,” Donghyuk read off the page, pursing his lips and nodding his head as if it were nothing but the solid truth. “The stronger their partner, the bigger the mark is.”

“See if there’s anything about having two mates,” Chanwoo suggested, making all their heads turn to the matching marks on three wrists – a horizontal dash that formed a straight line if the trio lined their wrists together. Donghyuk starts to flip the page, thumbing it when he found something on it. “It says, there are possibilities of having two mates, but the occurrences recorded have been 0.4% in the past decade.” They turn to face each other with disbelief, then grab each other in a bear hug whilst Jinhwan and Junhoe watched on, shaking their heads.

"Wait,” Junhoe blurted out, making all their heads turn to him this time. “If power is equivalent to size, does that mean Jinhwan’s mate is really powerful?”

“So is yours.” Jinhwan deadpans, folded wings fluttering alive in his agitation. He wasn’t the _only_ one with a powerful mate, making him glance down at the scales that had taken the liberty to blossom on both of his wrists, shimmering hues of blue from the lightest at the top to the darkest, covering at least the first-third of his wrist. The Fae was just glad it wasn’t anything humongous, like wings down his thighs. Junhoe’s mark was a pair of horns that faded from black to green hues, dotted across both his wrists as well, with a dainty crescent moon tucked away at the bottom of his left wrist – definitely way prettier than his; what the hell did scales even mean?

“Hey, look, there’s a way to find your mate, for sure.” Yunhyeong pointed out, making the three of them immerse in reading the page with eyes wide in wonder. Jinhwan shakes his head in disapproval, though Junhoe leans over in slight interest, pulling the older Fae along with him. “Maybe we’ll find Jinhwan’s mate and he’ll learn to finally live a little.”

“I’ve been living for twenty-three years now, thank you.” Jinhwan spat, though there was no venom in his tone, just exasperation. He really shouldn’t have brought them into the library today. Why was this happening? He didn’t want to know who his mate was; heck, he didn’t even care! “It’s late, let’s get to my house for dinner.”

“Okay, hold on, we’re going to borrow this book first!” Chanwoo chirped, paperback already in hand as he skipped over to where the counter was before he could be stopped by the Fae. With a loud sigh, Jinhwan lets his head fall against the table with a loud _thunk_ , drawing stares that he dismissed almost immediately.

He really shouldn’t have brought them to the library today.

Donghyuk shuts himself up in the room to ‘concentrate’, as he calls it – not that he honestly had the ability to find out where other people’s mates were. He always protested to this, though, stating that he was the one who found Chanwoo and Yunhyeong and discovered that their marks matched. Jinhwan thinks he contradicts himself because sometimes marks didn’t match – they were a symbol of the other. Not that he would know, he definitely didn’t peek into the book earlier when they had left it open on the kitchen counter whilst cooking lunch, nope.

Even if his friends were all idiots, though, Jinhwan can’t find it in himself to let them starve to death – so once he’s done cooking, he knocks on their doors and calls them out to eat. Donghyuk refuses, making Jinhwan a little worried, but Yunhyeong grabs him in a chokehold softly and brings him to the kitchen with a casual, “don’t worry about him, he’ll be out soon!”

That doesn’t even ebb away the oldest boy’s worry. Donghyuk was too hung up over finding his and Junhoe’s mate, which had in turn made him a little more than a shut-in. However, his worry diminishes when the door slams open with a triumphant-looking Donghyuk storming out, slamming a piece of note on the table. On a closer look, it seemed to reflect a watercolor painting of ivory and peach hues, making Junhoe’s jaw drop because, wait- that’s Jinhwan’s wing color! Jinhwan can only gape in surprise, food falling out of his mouth.

 

- 

 

“So, what makes this a good idea again?” The Fae asked, wings fluttering in a slow beat as he hovered over his friends, arms crossed. He hadn’t even been able to finish his food when he’d been dragged out of the house to the deeper part of the woods where the lake lay. It was late out, according to where the moon was hanging in the sky, brilliant soft light falling on all the things and making the woods seem more enchanted and magical than it actually was – because hey, woodland creatures needed sleep, too.

Junhoe chose to walk, plodding along in his pajamas and matching fluffy slippers, rubbing his eyes tiredly and yawning wide as they trudged along the pathway Donghyuk had said to take. In his hands, clutched between his fingers in the painting (as Jinhwan calls it, because there was no way that a piece of flimsy paper could actually lead them to someone, let alone his supposed mate.) which seemed to become magical under the moonlight. It seemed to be glowing, leading the way and pointing towards where the lake was.

Suddenly, another color blooms next to the soft hues, the black seemed to be a jarring contrast to the ivory on the paper, making them halt in their steps and stare as it traveled upwards, slowly turning into silver and melting into the white. Jinhwan turns to look at Junhoe, where the trio’s eyes were trained on as well – his back, where his silver and obsidian wings fluttered lightly in excitement. He looks up at Jinhwan with wide eyes, mouth gaping open once more. “Does this mean our mates are together now in that space?”

“I guess we’ll find out!” Yunhyeong chirped, grabbing the youngest’s hands and starting to walk again, letting Donghyuk navigate them. Jinhwan lands, folding his wings behind his back and walking next to Junhoe who was yawning widely once more, taking the younger Fae’s hand in his. The longer they walked, the more mysterious and winding the woods became, making Jinhwan wonder if there was some kind of enchantment cast on it to prevent people from discovering a hidden trove of treasure.

They’re met with the lake after a long while, though that isn’t what stops them in their tracks. Junhoe’s mouth falls open and Jinhwan stares blankly, the trio gaping with stupid expressions as they all just looked on at what seemed to be a magical scene to them.

Standing in the middle of the lake was a male, stark-naked with shimmering blue scales running down his cheeks and neck area (Jinhwan thanks the gods that his bottom was inside of the lake and not exposed); facing upwards towards the sky, where another male leaned down, slim body showing and partially hidden by the clouds, a pair of green and black horns protruding from his head.

The younger Fae sucks in a loud breath, connecting the marks on his wrist to the boy floating above the other in the lake almost immediately, hands curling around Jinhwan’s arm in his surprise. The taken breath draws the pair’s attention over to the group, the boy in the lake remaining expressionless whilst the hovering one seemed to perk up.

“Hey, hey, hey, what do we have here?” He spoke, voice rough and playful at the same time – for some reason, Junhoe feels very breathless hearing the husky undertone and is stunned speechless, mouth gaping unattractively like a fish.

Donghyuk is the first to speak, holding up the piece of paper as if it could prove something. “Um, sorry to bother you, but… we’re trying to find our friends’ mates and… apparently you’re Junhoe’s mate and your friend over there is Jinhwan’s mate.”

Floating boy, as Jinhwan has decided to dub him until he knows his name, seems to take this into stride easily, nodding his head lightly and looking over at their group. “And who’s this Junhoe?”

Chanwoo quickly detaches the younger Fae from Jinhwan and shoves him forward unceremoniously, making the male stumble slightly, right into the stranger’s arms – where had he come from, anyway? Junhoe is stunned once more, only able to blink in silence at the strong arms that surrounded him – wait, was that _muscle_?

"Junhoe, that's a nice name," He commented breezily, smiling with his eyes and making the Fae admire his set of uneven, but super adorable teeth. Was it a mate thing to be drawn to appearances? "I'm Jiwon, it's nice to meet you."

"Who's your friend?" Yunhyeong is quick to ask, as they all watch Jiwon guide Junhoe to stand once more, hands seemingly hesitant to leave the boy's shoulders. Jiwon glances behind him to the boy in the lake, who didn't seem a bit amused by their antics, given his piercing stare. Chanwoo gulps, feeling a tad intimidated by the fierce gaze.

"Hanbin, c'mon out," Jiwon called out, making Jinhwan's ears prick up. So his mate's name was Hanbin- Wait, no, he didn't have a mate! This didn't prove  _anything_. Was he supposed to believe they were mates because a single piece of paper brought them to these two? 

"What  _are_ you guys, anyway? I don't think we've seen guys like you around." Yunhyeong comments, watching the both of them when Hanbin comes closer to Jiwon, the both of them suddenly dressed in clothes. Magic, maybe? Any creatures able to use magic was highly regarded in terms of power - that would explain the sizes of their marks.

"I'm an Earth dragon, Hanbin's a Water dragon," Jiwon provides helpfully since Hanbin opted for just staring at their group as if they had stumbled into the wrong territory, arms crossed in front of his chest. "Sorry about him, though- he's not really good with strangers."

That made the group gape.  _Dragons?_ One of the top three creatures that used magic? Holy shit. "You guys totally lucked out."

Jinhwan chooses to glare at Chanwoo's statement, lips pulling into a tight line. "Well it was nice meeting you and shit, let's go back home so we can all sleep. Thank you."

The trio shake their heads at how Jinhwan was being, turning to apologize to the dragons for any offense taken. "Sorry, he just doesn't believe in mates."

"That's okay," Jiwon smiles, jerking his thumb over at Hanbin, who had remained silent all this time. "Seems perfect for Hanbin."

Junhoe steps forward then, holding out a piece of paper he'd written their house's number on (ripped off the edge of Donghyuk's paper for that). "Um. Here."

The younger Fae then scurries off with a bright pink staining his cheeks, making the recipient confused. Jinhwan follows without a word, while Donghyuk helpfully supplies that it was their number to reach them on; Chanwoo and Yunhyeong busy celebrating with a silly dance on the side.

Jiwon watches as they all leave, turning to his brother at last. "Do we even tell them we don't have a phone?"

"That's okay, I've already recognized their scents."

"You rock, bro."

 

-

 

Jinhwan felt irritation wear his patience thin, watching with judging eyes at the male sitting diagonally to him. Jiwon was talking animatedly, chattering away as Junhoe listened in fascination, while his own supposed mate was absorbed in his cup of tea on the table.  _How_ were they even here, at the coffee shop that the two of them liked to frequent? There had been no calls, no messages left on their house phone, so exactly how was their location revealed?

The older Fae lets his eyes zoom in on the figure seated opposite him, observing how he was as emotionless as the first day they'd met. Honestly, deep down inside, Jinhwan had hoped for his mate to be the one who had the stars in their eyes, like Junhoe - that would make things much, much easier. At least he'd have the chance to be persuaded into this 'mate' thing. 

"Could I see your mark?" is the sentence that Hanbin perks up at, eyes shifting from the cup to where his own mate was seated, unmoving and glaring daggers at his brother, who had asked said question.

Junhoe doesn't hesitate to pull his sleeves back and reveal the marks on his wrists, feeling bashful when Jiwon let out a soft whistle. Jinhwan doesn't expect the Dragon to turn to him in anticipation next.

"What? No." He hissed, pulling his wrists to his chest as a method of self-protection. Hanbin doesn't seem to be affected, whilst Jiwon sprawled out onto the tabletop, whining.

"C'mon, let me see what Hanbin's mate's mark looks like!" 

The older Fae narrows his eyes at the way Jiwon was behaving - heck, he was already drawing stares for the pair of horns he grew on his damn head - and shushed the other, giving Junhoe a withering stare. "Could you shut your mate up?"

"Jinhwan doesn't like his mark a lot," Junhoe provides, to which Jinhwan smacks the back of his head for saying. What was the point of even saying that? He glances at Hanbin, as if worried that the other wouldn't like hearing that he disliked his mark. It wasn't that, it just didn't seem like something Jinhwan would have on his body. Hanbin, however, seems to be unaffected once more, only leveling a blank stare to Jinhwan's questioning ones.

Were they really mates?

"Alright, alright, I'll show you. Sit down and shut up," Jinhwan snarled softly, his words effective in making the blubbering mess of whining called Jiwon sit up and pretend nothing had taken place. The Fae tugs back his sleeve to show the marks on his wrist, watching Jiwon lean closer like he was entranced by them. 

"Wow, it really captured your scales, bro," Jiwon murmurs, making Jinhwan uncomfortable as his eyes flit over Hanbin's face to check his expression. The Dragon seemed to be content about something, though the Fae couldn't help but wonder where his scales were.

"Why does he not have scales now?" Junhoe asked, curiosity growing as he glanced from Jinhwan's mark up to Hanbin's face.

Jiwon smiles, turning to his brother, who continues to stare at Jinhwan in a manner that unnerved the Fae. "That's cause he can make them go away, unlike my horns. I don't have quite enough magic to do that."

"I think your horns are cool," Junhoe quips, making Jiwon light up in delight whilst Jinhwan scowled, disgust prominent in his features. Great, now he had to live seeing how his friend was going to gush over his mate later on. "Can I... See your mark?"

The Dragon grins widely, as if he had been waiting for his mate to ask - proudly pulling down the collar of his shirt to reveal a pair of wings alike to Junhoe's on the left side of his chest, right under his collarbone. Junhoe blinks, drinking in the expanse of skin shown as well as his mark -  _his_ mark - and he honestly shouldn't be feeling so proud when it's only their second time meeting.

Jinhwan eyes their interactions, only feeling negativity bubbling up in his chest.

 

-

 

His prediction seemed almost spot-on, lips pursing when he sees his friend dolling up for his next date. The older Fae watches, arms folded across his chest whilst Junhoe styled his hair and squinted when their gazes met through the mirror. 

"Where are you going?" He asks, even though he knows exactly where the younger Fae was heading out to. Junhoe smiles, the one smile that he knows can make Jinhwan bend to his will quickly.

"Out with Jiwon." came his soft reply, making Jinhwan's steel resolve falter for a moment.  _Just_ a moment. "I asked Hanbin to come over and offer you company."

Jinhwan pauses, eyes squinting into knives at the younger Fae, who spluttered in protest at his glare. "You've got to talk to him one of these days! He's your mate, Jinhwan."

"I don't care if he's my mate, Junhoe! I'm not going to be all smiley with him just because he's my mate!" The older Fae throws up his arms in distress, stomping away to the door when it rang, pulling it open. His expression must've been one of anger, given the surprised look on Jiwon's face.

"Uh. Bad time?" He asked, finger hovering over the doorbell and head tilting around to see if Junhoe was inside. "Junhoe? Let's go before I get murdered?"

The younger Fae scurries out the door despite Jinhwan's attempted blockage - given their height differences, it was an easy feat for the taller, younger Fae. "Let's go." 

Jinhwan squinted once more as the pair walked away, before Jiwon remembered something with a loud 'oh!' and turned around to face him once more. "By the way, Hanbin said he'll meet you at the lake. Don't get lost!" 

Pressing his lips into a thin line, he barely resists the urge to give a rude gesture, blowing his fringe away from his forehead and crossing his arms once more. "Why the hell do I have to be the one to find him?"

 

-

 

Despite his complaints, he gets dressed anyway and is already halfway to the lake, irritation clear in the way he stomped his feet and scared the small critters in his path away. He gets to the lake way quicker than he expects, scowling at the figure seated on the very edge, feet dipped into the clear water.

"Seriously?" He asked, without much context as he sat himself ungracefully beside the other and bumping his shoulder. Hanbin spares him a look that didn't seem too amused, but the Fae doesn't care. "So what are we doing while our friends are away to play?"

"Jiwon's my brother," Hanbin replied offhandedly, making the Fae pause in the removal of his shoes, staring at the Dragon with a gaping mouth. 

"Oh." He manages afterwards, finally undoing the knot and removing his shoes and socks to dip his feet in the cool water as well. He keeps his mouth shut, not wanting to say any more stupid things - he had an image to uphold, after all. Not that he honestly minded any bad impressions he might give the other.

"Are you not curious about my mark?" 

Jinhwan bites his lip lightly, thinking about it for a moment - whereas he wasn't interested or as invested in having a mate like Junhoe was, it didn't mean he wasn't happy to find his own mate. He was just really cynical about mates in general. "I kind of am, but at the same time, not really? I probably don't make sense, huh?"

"You do," Hanbin concludes, head turning to look at Jinhwan. "Junhoe told me you don't trust the idea of mates."

"I don't. Mates are just a set-up and feelings can change." Folding his arms, he stared Hanbin in the eye, silently challenging him to rebuke his claims.

To his surprise, Hanbin doesn't. "That's true too."

Nibbling his lip, he looks away to not be unnerved by the Dragon's stare. Something about his gaze was very intense, and it made Jinhwan afraid - afraid that he'd be convinced he liked Hanbin enough to entertain the idea of them being mates; being meant to be. 

"I'm not sure how it is for your kind- Maybe you get another mate if feelings fade, but for us Dragons, we only have one mate in our lifetime." 

Jinhwan freezes, hearing the unexpected words - did Junhoe spill his damn story? "I can't believe Junhoe told you," He groaned into his hands, the desire to murder his friend growing larger. 

"I asked him. I was curious about what made you think like that, since mates are always held in high regards for us." Hanbin stares at Jinhwan, making the smaller male look away once more from his intense stare. "Do you hate me that much?"

"No, I- I just." The Fae couldn't find the correct words to say. He feels and hears Hanbin draw closer, swallowing a breath he didn't know he was holding and quivering slightly with his eyes shut. He feels something warm press against his cheek - was that a kiss?! - then Hanbin moving away, hearing a splash afterwards. His eyes shoot open quickly enough to find his mate in the water, scales glimmering under the moonlight. Jinhwan feels like he's been robbed - of his breath and his heart, wanting to deny the fact that he'd always felt this way since they had met.

Hanbin was ethereal. Jinhwan swallows, glancing down at the hand the Dragon stretches out towards him with shaking eyes. If he took this hand, would that mean that everything he had been living for and denying all this time would come to naught? Panic seeps into his mind, making him unable to move for a few moments; he doesn't realize Hanbin is wading closer until he feels the other take his hands in his, jumping slightly.

The expression on Hanbin's face is gentle, forgiving - and it almost makes Jinhwan want to cry. Swallowing once more, he lets himself be guided into the lake, gripping onto Hanbin's hands lightly - when had their fingers been laced together? - not wanting to be drowned in water given his height. Hanbin settles Jinhwan close to him, letting him step on his feet to reduce his fear. The Fae realizes the water is only waist-deep, quickly moving off the Dragon in embarrassment- except the boy doesn't let him get too far.

Jinhwan lets himself be held in strong arms, feeling more embarrassment color his face as he blinked rapidly, unable to process the situation. Lowering his eyes to the boy's shoulders, he catches sight of a peach hue dashed across the junction between his neck and shoulder - his mark. Curiosity makes him pull the shirt back, uncovering the ivory dash right below it, like his wings had been cropped off and made smaller to fit onto the crevice.

He admires it - his mark, on someone he didn't know, yet he felt he could trust with his heart. What if there were really mates in this world? Could he, a hypocrite who didn't believe so, have his own mate as well?

His mate seems to read his mind as he's held tighter, until he can breathe in the scent of the lake from Hanbin. 

"My mate," The boy says simply, but those two words are enough to make Jinhwan's heart jump.

 

-

 

He lays out in the sun next to the lake, Hanbin right beside him. Jinhwan can't help feeling like a hypocrite, given he's always vehemently denied the idea of mates in the first place - when he voiced this out to his friends, they had just dismissed his silly fear, but it seemed Hanbin understood he needed time. There was always a minuscule distance between the both of them, something that Jinhwan had mentioned about, only for the male to answer that he'd close the distance once Jinhwan was ready.

Feelings he's never felt before fill his chest, even though he's not entirely sure how or what or who or when or why, but they do. He turns to face Hanbin, whose eyes are closed as if he were napping. Sometimes they just spent time like that together, him watching Hanbin sleep and vice versa. Junhoe had called that cute, though Jinhwan thought that his and Jiwon's cafe-hopping dates were much cuter. 

Jinhwan doesn't like to walk around too much, though, so he's pretty much content with their own idea of a date. Could it even be called that? Were they going out? Was there an unspoken relationship or bond between them that Jinhwan had never bothered to clarify with Hanbin? What if he had been crossing a line all this while and he never knew?-

"You're thinking too much again," came Hanbin's soft voice, jerking him out of his reverie. Knotting his brows together, he grumbles but shifts closer to the Dragon, watching him peek open his eyes a tad bit to look at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just had some silly thoughts." Jinhwan muttered, bringing his knees to his chest and feeling sulky. He doesn't expect it, but Hanbin manages to surprise him every time. The male sits up, cross-legged and rested his chin on his palm.

"Tell me." 

It was neither a command or an order, just a statement that made Jinhwan's feelings burst like a dam. 

"I mean... What  _are_ we?" He asked after filtering through the question several times in his head. "Boyfriends? Lovers? Friends?"

Hanbin levels a steady gaze at Jinhwan's panicking one. "What do you want us to be?"

He counters the question - as if it were so simple, Jinhwan thinks, but maybe it was meant to be simple. He thought too much, never feeling calm until he could sort out everything that was in his head. Yet when Hanbin reiterated his thoughts, it felt as it the solution was as clear as the skies above them.

Jinhwan is quiet for a prolonged moment, turning over their relationship and what he wanted out of it in his head. He struggles to think, lips pressing into a thin line as he overworked his brain; trying to think of logical things and others.

"Don't think with your head," Hanbin suggested, still laying down, but with his eyes fully opened this time. "Think with your heart. What do  _you_ want?"

"Mates. We're mates." Jinhwan concluded at last, feeling a heavy weight lift off his chest once he accepted the fact. He breaks into a smile, sweet and tender, leaning down to crash into Hanbin's arms that opened for him. "We're... friends, and lovers, and everything more. Can we be like that?"

He looks up hopefully at the male from where he laid his head on his chest. Hanbin smiles, noting the way the stars seem to be dancing in Jinhwan's eyes this time, like he's always mentioned he was jealous of the ones in Junhoe's. Hanbin leans down, pressing his lips against the Fae's gently in a soft kiss.

"Of course. Of course we can."

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

"So, how did you even know where we were the second time we met?"

"Your scents. I recognized them."

"... What the  _hell_ , that's so creepy."

"Well, this creep is yours now."

"... Ew."


End file.
